Hope and Fail

Skipping the National Day of Prayer

Barack Obama prays in October 2004 as a candidate for the U.S. Senate at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

President Obama is skipping National Day of Prayer events today, even though he will sign a proclamation commemorating the day. President Bush attended and hosted Day of Prayer festivities each year he was in office — after all, it is a day set aside by the federal government for prayer.

Congress established the National Day of Prayer in 1952 and pegged it to the first Thursday of May in 1988.

This year, the White House won’t be celebrating (though the Obama White House took time to observe “Cinco de Cuatro” and St. Patrick’s Day). Maybe it’s because the president still has yet to find a church to attend in Washington.

From USA Today:

“President Obama is a committed Christian and believes that we should be engaging Americans of faith in efforts to renew our country,” a White House official said.

“He is following the tradition of Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush and others by signing a proclamation honoring the National Day of Prayer, while continuing to work with communities of faith to improve our country.”

As a “committed Christian,” why skip National Day of Prayer events? The line is that he will be marking the day by praying in private, as he does every day. If that’s the case, why sign a proclamation at all? Is not the point of having “holidays” like Earth Day, National Day of Prayer and National Agriculture Day (March 20) to bring attention to the cause, history or action of the day?

Here’s what White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said about it, according to Fox News:

“I think the president understands, in his own life and in his family’s life, the role that prayer plays. And I would denote that the administrations prior to the past one did proclamations. That’s the way the president will publicly observe the national prayer day. But, as I said, privately, he’ll pray as he does every day.”

So it’s just another day.

To be fair, the president did speak at a National Prayer Breakfast in February, and he’s got his own prayer team. And we really can’t blame him for not wanting to hang out with the Dobsons.

Save/Share: